China’s National Day, celebrated on October 1, is one of the most important days on the calendar of the People’s Republic of China. It signifies not only a lavish celebration to mark the founding of the country, but also the beginning of the so-called Golden Week: a seven-day holiday period. For logistics companies, it’s a challenge that requires special preparation, due to the sudden increase in cargo traffic and interruptions in the operations of many businesses and institutions.
What is the Golden Week?
Golden Week is an official nationwide holiday in China during which most businesses, including factories, offices and schools, are closed. During this period, millions of Chinese travel around the country, visiting family, tourist attractions and taking part in festivities. From a logistics perspective, Golden Week means significant downtime in production and transportation of goods, which has a direct impact on global supply chains.
How to prepare for the Golden Week?
In 2024, Golden Week runs from October 1 to 7. During the holiday, production at factories is halted, leading to delays in orders. Logistics companies should plan ahead, especially if they work with Chinese suppliers and manufacturers.
Here are some recommendations for logistics companies:
- Planning ahead. It’s important that orders are placed well in advance of the start of Golden Week. This helps avoid delays due to production downtime.
- Quality control. Before Golden Week, factories may place more emphasis on increasing production and quantity of goods, which may come at the expense of quality control. Therefore, it is wise to be especially careful and make sure that products meet the required standards and specifications.
- Reservation of cargo space. It’s a good idea to reserve space on ships or planes in advance to avoid problems related to limited availability.
- Communication and coordination. During Golden Week, communication with Chinese business partners can be difficult, as many companies and institutions are closed at that time. Therefore, it is a good idea to make sure that all important information and questions are communicated in advance.